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Play To Win The Game: A Winning GOP Strategy Includes Winning Back Businesses and Voters in Cities

Dec. 7, 2012 11:35am

For the last two years Giles has served as the COO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, an economic development organization. Prior to this role he was a […]

For the last two years Giles has served as the COO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, an economic development organization. Prior to this role he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

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rgileswhiting@gmail.com

Play To Win The Game: A Winning GOP Strategy Includes Winning Back Businesses and Voters in Cities

Herman Edwards famously said “You play to win the game.” Republicans have been losing. November was not a mandate for Obama, he won less votes than he did in 2008. It was a call to action for Republicans to get serious about building a party. One rooted in core conservative values, but strategic and practical enough to win. Thanks largely to the Tea Party, the GOP is turning into the Green Party: leadership on the fringes who see balance as compromise and compromise as poison – a party that would rather fail than change.

This hasn’t proved a winning strategy; in fact, it’s not a strategy at all.

The only correlative factor anyone needs to look at is population density. As Dave Troy details, 98 percent of the 50 densest counties voted for Obama. 98 percent of the 50 least dense counties voted for Romney. A winning strategy captures cities through a balanced approach optimized for the long-term and designed to win the game the GOP is playing – not the game they want to, wish, or are pretending to play. Tactically that means bolstering itself as the party of business and fiscal responsibility, and diversifying the party’s voter base.

The Party of Business:

This shouldn’t be a question, but too often Republicans seem to be assuming and in turn ignoring this core group of support. The election apparently didn’t raise a red flag. Today, GOP leaders and far-right talk show hosts are calling for the party to “walk away” from discussions to work our way off the fiscal cliff, even while falling off threatens to further slowdown the economy and bring more challenges to businesses. Likewise, while a position of no new taxes sounds great, that’s not a long-term plan that honestly and realistically addresses today’s challenges. Businesses understand tradeoffs, long-term planning, and most importantly the impact of broad economic growth, fiscal prudence and stewardship. These are the themes of conversations that Republican leadership should be having with large and small business owners across our nation.

Cities are a crucial stage for that conversation. Cities are full of potential Republicans! They’re the home of most of our biggest businesses, where individuals work longer hours and where wealth is generated. Productivity, creation of wealth through work, private entrepreneurship, enterprise and freedom – these are Republican values. Or at least they are the stated ones. Today they seem more like faded tag lines.

The party has drifted. There’s no sense of regular and transparent conversation between GOP leaders and businesses. The very rich have flocked to Obama. But even if their ship wealth has drifted to a place many consider out of touch with the average American, those Republican values of hard work, creation of wealth, and private responsibilities and freedom, have always been the drivers – not entitlements, unions, and a view of corporations as amorphous organization against the common man.

It’s time to clearly frame GOP positions within these values and re-start those motors. For fuel we’ll need honest and public conversations about where we are now as a nation, the true trade-offs facing us, and short- vs. long-term implications of actions. Businesses understand these things. They rely on straightforward discussions to make crucial decisions every day, as does every individual.

A Diversified Voter Base:

Anyone who has moved from a small town into a city knows that two things happen: one, you meet lots of people very different than those in the town you came from and, two, you begin to understand those people. The GOP needs to move into a city. The party’s stereotypes are those of old white male businessmen or gun toting, cameo-wearing hicks. There’s no problem with these folks, half of my family are the former and half are the latter – but they’re not enough to win. Worse, that base is shrinking.

The Human Rights Campaign estimated that 76 percent of LGBT voters supported Obama. These voters are turned off by the GOP on an issue that–ignoring whether we’re right or wrong on–has nothing to do with our core values. Pew Research shows 60 percent of under thirty voters went for the President. This is a future voting base that has concluded the GOP is out of touch, often because of our positions on social issues.

Today’s Republicans will be comfortable with these new party members after they’ve figured out what really matters – that the heart of party are those values of hard work and individual freedom. One day gays will get married (or “married” by whatever proxy is eventually decided upon) and abortion will never again be illegal – get over it and focus. If that is upsetting on moral grounds, then minister to these individuals in church, not in Congress. The GOP’s distractions can’t afford any more distractions.

A Focused, Long-Term Approach:

Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was the GOP. A balanced and long-term approach will take time – years that will establish the type of foundation on which the party will rebuild. But the party needs to decide whether it’s ready to play to win the game. To map out the rules, players, and options–whether they like them or not–and then step onto the field.

American households balance their budgets regularly, some daily. Most–even those receiving some sort of government assistance–go to some sort of job each day. These two facts mean that every day these individuals are thinking in line with those Republican values. They’re thinking like Republicans. It’s time to reach out to them where they are, focus on our core values and drop the distractions. It’s time to build and execute a new GOP strategy that will communicate, reach, and convert our new voters in American cities.

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Comments (16)

broach
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:45am
People who live on less than 1% of U.S. land decides the national elections. Makes it very easy to sway an election!

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The Third Archon
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:13am
“American households balance their budgets regularly, some daily. Most–even those receiving some sort of government assistance–go to some sort of job each day. These two facts mean that every day these individuals are thinking in line with those Republican values. They’re thinking like Republicans. It’s time to reach out to them where they are, focus on our core values and drop the distractions. It’s time to build and execute a new GOP strategy that will communicate, reach, and convert our new voters in American cities.”
Yes, everyone who balances a budget is conservative–that’s not a stupid thing to say at all. And speaking of balancing budgets, guess how long it took the conservative hero Reagan to balance his budget–trick question, HE NEVER DID, he just ran up increasingly large deficits.

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The Third Archon
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:08am
“The Party of Business:”
Yes, because Republicans aren’t ALREADY capitalist whores (as opposed to Democrats, who are just pro-capitalist).
“A Diversified Voter Base:”
Yeah, good luck with THAT–’hey, Republicans, you need to be not-Republicans in order to win.’ Well…yes, but I don’t think that’s terribly…likely.
“The Human Rights Campaign estimated that 76 percent of LGBT voters supported Obama. These voters are turned off by the GOP on an issue that–ignoring whether we’re right or wrong on–has nothing to do with our core values.”
Yeah, and you’re wrong on it. And if you DO finally catch up the rest of us on it, then congratulations–welcome to the 21st century, some of us have been here awhile, but better late than never I guess.
“Pew Research shows 60 percent of under thirty voters went for the President. This is a future voting base that has concluded the GOP is out of touch, often because of our positions on social issues.”
Yeah, and good luck winning THAT demographic–you just need to change everything your party stands for on social issues, then you’ll be attractive to the youth.
“abortion will never again be illegal – get over it and focus. If that is upsetting on moral grounds, then minister to these individuals in church, not in Congress. The GOP’s distractions can’t afford any more distractions.”
Oh yeah, good luck convincing your base of THAT.

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trtmntdude
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 9:52am
I could not disagree with this author more. We don’t need to play the “game” we are in at all. THAT game is a game in which the rules are established by the left. The author would have us play defense. Boehner is already falling for that ploy. Instead of being preemptive and passing a bill that would address the tax issues and sending it to the Senate, He started negotiating even before the last ballot was counted.
WE need to establish the rules and let the left play defense. Stop letting them dictate the terms. Do what is right and all else will follow.

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jclassboat
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 2:31pm
Speaker Boehner just kicked off Tea Party conservatives from several committees. This is an outrage and I will never support the GOP again unless the leadership changes to principled conservatives. Fat chance of that.
The Beltway GOP is dead in my eyes and I am not alone. A true “Tea Party” of Constitutional Conservatives must rise up and end the corrupted GOP.

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pilgrim249
Posted on December 9, 2012 at 8:14am
The Republican Party is a decaying corpse. Let it go.

We must have a new conservative Party lead by men like LTC. Allen West. Let it start now.

Our voting process has been usurped by the communist thugs in the Obama regime and by twenty million illegal Hispanics, and they have no intention of ever giving up power—we will have to TAKE our country back.

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- jclassboat
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 2:25pm
  This election validates your position. The Beltway Republican Establishment is only interested in self preservation and for some time has put up loser moderates as candidates. House Speaker Boehner just kicked off Tea Party conservatives on several committees. This is an outrage and I , for one, will never support the GOP again.
  
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- DetroitGunClinger
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 5:08pm
  I agree 100%, we need to accept that the GOP has lived out its usefulness. We need to abandon the Republican party and form a new party that excludes all the RINOs. To paraphrase Sen. DeMint, I’d rather have 30 conservative senators than 60 “moderate” Republicans.
  
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aconstitutionalistlivesinbrooklyn
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 10:02pm
This article seems totally at odds with the rest of the series and advice you would get from any RINO political consultant. The big businesses that went for Obama are the crony capitalists who Obama rewards. Its not ineffective messaging on our part that failed to win their support. We will not be denied our fundamental right to signify a relationship between a man and a woman the way humankind has for thousands of years and is the underpinning for a stable and vibrant society. Abortion is a moral wrong and we won’t sacrifice our morals for expediency. The previous article on the abortion debate was more helpful in showing how we should deal with this issue. If you delve into the details of the youth vote as Ann Coulter has done, you will see that the white voters between the ages and 18-29 went for Romney 54% to Obama’s 41%. And among white women of that age group, Romney won a majority. That’s right. The Obama strategy of Sandra Fluke, Julia, and Lena Durham’s “First Time” ads failed with young white women. What this does point to is a feeling of alienation from people of color. The media has something to do with that. But as research shows, illegal immigration does not. This guy is a Steve Schmidt wannabe. Dump him.

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Randolph Phillips
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 8:35pm
Mr. Giles is another Harvardite, and as I read this article I can see he was saying the kinds of things I believe Mitt Romney believes, understands, and would practice as President. It appeals to the corporate mind, but he is taling about a Rockefeller Republican Party–operate everything on a business model, but politically and every other way about 76% on the liberal side.

Save Big Government, ignore the Constitution, and keep tax rates low. These guys aren’t about to listen to anyone who says we have to bring back our domestic economy to the US from China and elsewhere. He’s not about to say bust the big banks and end corporate takeovers and buyouts.

But he does say we goota go gay and lesbian marriage, abortion, and urban street life. This guy is taling Big Business democrats and big big government–probably even a form of Obamacare. Leave the disster in place, get used to it, and make money and win elections off it. And I hate to say it, most Republicans I know feel the same way. Boehner does, I’m sure, and that is why he’s in Obama’s hands. If Republicans join Buffett, Google, Soros, and court liberal urban constituencies, they will just be democrats.

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GWjr
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 2:29pm
Yet another BS article stating we have to change. I’ll go this far and say that we do need to have politicians saying less about abortion and “gay” “marriage.” And that we need to get churches more involved (declaiming against the SINFUL Dem game plan of envy and covetousness–’steal from the rich’– and telling their parishioners it is their DUTY to sacrifice and get involved in local politics), instead of their becoming less and less relevant to our political life. But having worked my way a bit inside the GOP, I can tell you that the Dems just had a much better ground game, with poll watchers and door knockers, than we. That’s because no one, especially the Tea Party (who ought to know better) does NOTHING to help, just a lot of talk, when they should be joining the GOP as active members so we’ll have real clout.

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Madmadgrandma
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 12:07pm
Extreme voter fraud and misinformation led to the loss…however; Conservatives must not waver from their principles!
1) Allow Obama’s Marxist plans to fail…
2) Come in in 2016 and pick up the pieces…
3) Remember,…Freedom is the ability to not be coersed by the gov’t…

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flipper1073
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 10:34am
Note to the Blaze,
I come to the Blaze for Political Stories not catfish or dead whales
or even mosquitoes.
Please put this story on the front page an leave it there for more than a few minutes
an let people comment. Thanks

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flipper1073
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 10:18am
This is a very interesting series on the rifts in the GOP.
With gays an abortion, fiscal vs social, young vs old.
But what hasn’t been addressed is how the GOP treated
Conservatives in the last Year.
The GOP Elites were very outspoken in their distain for the
TEA Party an Ron Paul,Sarah Palin, Allen West, Ted Cruz
an any other Conservative TEA Party Canditate.including
running multiple canditates against them to split the Vote.

Then we had the RNC Convention an They take a Vote to shut out the
Conservatives Voices AGAIN. Chris Christie as a Keynote an Sarah Palin
not even invited an You wonder why the Conservatives Stayed Home ?

I’ve been Conservative since I was 12 yrs old (Barry Goldwater)
an have voted Republican my entire adult life.
But the Conservatives have either got to take control of the GOP
or Abandon them Completely.
Moderate / Progressive Republicans will continue to lose.
Continue to go against the majority of your Voters an you will
Lose by ever increasing numbers an go the way of the Whigs.

Voter Fraud helped but Voter Apathy is what really relected
Barack Obama.

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FotoChief
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:46pm
I’m very concerned that none of the so-called talking heads and those in position to point out the obvious fail to mention the gross incidents of voter fraud. When the Jewish Task Force can point out how Obama stole the election then I would think others would begin to realize that just maybe the JTF and their work should be taken seriously.
One of the running complaints is that the GOP did not turn out their voters. JTF explains how many vote counting offices are mostly, if not entirely, black and that “early and absentee” votes for Romney were actually trashed. Perhaps the Romney voters did turn out but their votes didn’t.

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- Randolph Phillips
  Posted on December 8, 2012 at 8:55pm
  FOTOCHIEF,The republicans do not think it is good form to talk about fraudulent elections and stolen votes. They still have hopes that Karl Rove and Ralph Reed’s hopes to take about a fourth of the black vote will work out for them–some day. Don’t want to criticize a black candidate, or make the poll watching black panthers angry, now do we? Republicans might be called racists, and that would be awful after all that image building with Colin and Condi–who voted democratic in 2008-12. But that was Republican fault, for not reaching out enough, and on and on.
  
  Republicans ran the House in 1996 and Gingrich was Speaker. Bob Dornan, a longtime Conservative California Congressman lost his seat to a hispanic woman by 1000 votes. An investigation revealed that more than 800 illegal aliens had voted, and further investigation showed that 2000 registered voters appeared to be illegals as well according to immigration recorrds, but Gingrich’s House of Representatives seated the hispanic democrat over the conservative male republican. I guess that was early reaching out to the latino democrats. She’s still in the House.
  The leadership of the Republican Party did not get bad in just the last few years. It’s been that way since 1989, when the Bush Family took over.
  
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